City Council OKs contract with Sprint Sand & Clay to excavate Acre Lake; council presses company on truck routes and road repairs

Manvel City Council voted unanimously on May 5 to award the Acre Lake excavation contract to Sprint Sand & Clay, authorizing staff to finalize an agreement that pays the city a $5,000 monthly license fee plus $1 for every cubic yard of material the contractor removes and sells.

The vote comes after a staff presentation describing a reverse‑bid structure intended to let the city recoup much of the money it spent acquiring the property. City staff said the site contains roughly 4,000,000 cubic yards of marketable material; at $1 per cubic yard that could generate several million dollars over the life of the project. The bidder requested up to 10 years to complete operations, acknowledging the timeline will depend on market demand.

Council members focused on how the operation will affect local roads. Sprint's vice president, Matt Strickland, told the council the company has experience opening sand pits and intends to require safety meetings, vehicle inspections and other measures for its drivers. He said “on a slow day” the site might see about 50 loads and that a busy day could reach several hundred truck trips.

Council members pressed staff and the bidder for a traffic control plan, heavy‑haul permitting, limits on routes through residential areas and contract terms requiring the contractor to repair or fund repairs to damaged public streets. Staff said heavy‑haul permits and construction of adequate access roads will be required in the contract; contractors will be asked to maintain haul roads, provide street sweeping and, if needed, provide lidar surveys and monthly production documentation to verify amounts removed.

City staff and the bidder also discussed site work and reclamation standards that must be included in the final contract. The city indicated it will require berms, side‑slope protections and hydromulching or other erosion controls; final requirements — including whether the contractor will provide hydromulching as a pass‑through cost — are to be negotiated in the agreement.

Why it matters: The proposal is intended to let the city offset land‑purchase costs and produce funds for future amenities, but it also creates a years‑long heavy‑truck operation close to neighborhood streets and school zones. Council members emphasized minimizing community impacts through route restrictions, early coordination on traffic mitigation and firm contract language on road repairs.

What’s next: Staff will finalize the contract language and return it for signature. The company will submit a traffic control plan, haul‑route commitments and permitting documentation before full operations begin. The council recorded a unanimous vote to approve awarding the excavation to Sprint Sand & Clay and to allow the city manager to finalize the contract.

Ending: Councilmembers said they expect ongoing reporting to council on haul operations and road conditions while the work proceeds.